Writers aren’t treated fairly. Do you want proof? Just compare writing to any other hobby.
Do you golf? How many people have seriously asked if you are trying to make the PGA?
Perhaps you run to stay in shape. Does anyone question how many dollars an hour you’ve made jogging? Do they ask when they’ll see you in the Olympics?
But pity the honest soul who admits to spending time with paper and pen. Suddenly they must have career plans. Suddenly any success less than Suzanne Collins’ or J. K. Rowling’s seems meager. They have to defend the time they spend crafting words because it takes away from such noble pursuits as TV watching, web surfing and jigsaw puzzles. They are wasting their life examining characters, exploring values and creating worlds. They should be fishing or shopping. Doing something worthwhile, you know.
When people learn your dirty secret – that you (gasp) write in your spare time – their imagination is going to jump to book deals, signings, movie deals, etc., and maybe your thoughts go there, too. That’s fine. If you really want to write professionally, if you want to write for the market, then you are taking a different path. Your writing won’t be for your enjoyment only, but for the readers’. But don’t feel pressured into that scenario. Writing for your own enjoyment is valid. You have permission to spend your leisure hours doing it without guilt.
And don’t let any sports fan, health nut, or scrapbooker tell you otherwise.
How about you? Have you ever been afraid to tell people that you’re a writer?
Lol! I still had several people say “I didn’t know you were a writer!” when my first book hit the shelves! I kept it pretty much to myself and still do to some degree since my writing name is just slightly different from my real name. 🙂
I hear it almost every day at work. “So, now that you’re published, when are you retiring?” They seem to think that a two book contract makes you Nora Roberts…
LoL!! Haha….it can be rather odd to say that you’re a *writer* and that you spend most of your time…or most of your spare time in front of the computer writing down a story….but I think it’s pretty nice! I don’t care what people will think of me, I just like to write! 😀
Love this! I actually just had a conversation with my husband about this last night. Anytime anyone asks me what I’m doing when I’m writing I always lie and say “reading.” It’s not like it’s something to be ashamed about, but I feel the need to keep it a secret. I think you’re right about the pressure it automatically puts on you when people know. But I’m glad other people see it as a valid hobby. 🙂
Aren’t we a secretive bunch? I’ve done that, too, Lacee. “What am I doing? Nothing.”
Sharon it’s my husband who’s watching the finances, but he’s wondering when he can retire – not me. 🙂
I’ve only just recently started telling people that I write, and it started with telling another writer. Now my family wants to know when I’m going to get that darn book published. “Haven’t you been working on that thing long enough?” I don’t have the heart to tell them I’m actually working on four or five different things. Even once we reveal ourselves, we’re still a secretive bunch. 🙂
I used to keep it quiet. I got so sick and tired of the same stupid question – “So have you had anything published yet?” grrr Then last year I started taking my writing truly serious and everything changed. I realized if I wanted to be taken seriously, I had to take myself seriously (and I wasn’t). When that question came up after that, I’d smile big and tell them I’m working on it! The ones that get me are the ones who see writing “fiction” as a waste of time. They seem to think it would be noble or something to write non-fiction, but to write fiction is like confessing to spending my days watching Spongebob (*shudder*). An admission that I write mostly contemporary romance lowers their opinion to about Tele-Tubbies level. Even then I realize – just because they see no value in it doesn’t mean I can’t. I know I’m doing what God has called me to do. Their opinions no longer matter.
Regina,
The part that really resounded with me was the pressure folks unwittingly pile on with “bestseller,” “publishing deals,” “earnings,” etc. Yes, it is like asking a recreational runner when they will enter the Olympics! Ha! I just want to change the world, that’s all 🙂
Chana
This is too true! I’ve had the same experience but from a different angle. I’m a pastor. I serve 2 churches full time. When a parishioner found out I was going to a writers conference, he asked why. When I said that I was working on a novel, he said, “Oh great! You’ll get a book published, become famous and then leave us!” And he was serious. Apparently, get published and you’re immediately published.
LOL! I love your title. 🙂
Yes, I had those same feelings. It took me quite a while before I told any of my friends I was writing. Then once I finally shared it, I went for broke and asked my women’s Bible study group pray for my writing. But they still often asked when it would be published. 🙂
Oops! The last line in my comment above SHOULD read: “Apparently, get published and you’re immediately famous.” (This is why editors are so important.)
Hello, Everyone! Yes, this seems to be a universal issue with many writers, myself included. I have been writing for years, but only ‘seriously’ (meaning seeking publication) for about 3 years. As soon as I ‘finally’ made the decision to fess up and disclose, I was immediately accosted with “Are you published? Well…then…When will you be published? How much money do writers typically make, anyway? When do you think you’ll have to give it up and find a ‘real job’ again?” To be fair, I do not think people understand how intrusive and even cruel their comments can be, so I just blow them off…smile…and walk away. After all, I only answer to my Lord. Thanks for the article…It provided a genuine chuckle…
In full disclosure, for me the most challenging part of being a writer is people’s inability to comprehend the amount of time and effort it takes to produce quality work. For most, my being a writer rarely seems to strike the same chord of importance or urgency as that of my years in information technology. For example, if something needs doing, I am expected to drop everything and volunteer, given I do not have a ‘real job’…smile. It must be a ‘money thing’. I am curious (published authors), does this attitude subside once the books hit the shelves and the meager dollars begin trickling in…? Keep smiling!
I think it’s flattering that people are so interested in our work, but there are a lot of assumptions they have. To me the biggest tragedy is that there are so many people out there who would love to write…but they know as soon as they make that confession, the pressure is on.
It’s so refreshing to know that I’m not the only writer that deals with this. I’m quite chatty about writing on Twitter, because I’m friends with other writers on there. But outside the social network world, my lips are sealed. My husband, my two best friends, and a few family members are the only ones that know why I’m typing to no end on the computer. It’s not that I’m ashamed of my writing, I just think “less is more.” If I get published, eventually people will know, but until then… *ziiiiipppp*
Haha…I have select friends who know my secret (some because I’m using them as a resource!), and though I’m still halfway through a first draft of my first novel, I always thought I’d use a pseudonym and never tell. Instead, I’ve been gradually getting (forcing myself to get) the courage to tell it like it is and have thick skin. Publishing or not – it’s ME. Like me or not… (We’ll see where that really lands me.)